This invention relates to nesting grocery carts with an open-top container having a rearwardly collapsible, raised pocket therein for use as a rear-facing child's seat or a carrying bin.
Prior art grocery carts with a rearwardly collapsible, baby seat show a cart consisting of a wheeled frame with a wire mesh, open-top container (commonly called a "basket") mounted thereon. A panel which serves as a back rest for a child is pivoted at the rear of the container and is movable between two stable positions: a collapsed position flat against the container rear wall and an open position where it is tilted away from said rear wall. A base member (commonly called a "baby seat") which serves as a horizontal base for a child's seat is pivoted to the basket's rear wall and linked to the panel such that when the panel is in its collapsed position the base member is also collapsed either downwardly or upwardly against the rear wall, and when the panel is in its open position, the base member is generally horizontal between the panel and the rear wall. The rear wall of the basket defines a pair of leg holes or one large hole with a vertical crossbar to accommodate a seated child's legs which hang out the back of the basket through the holes. To close these holes when the baby seat is being used as a carrying bin to store groceries, purses and/or other items, a leg hole closure, usually a plate, is pivotally mounted and is movable to two stable positions: a raised position in which it closes said holes, and a lowered position where it provides a seat for the buttocks of a child.
Prior art grocery carts adapted to be nested together in telescopic fashion show a cart identical to the type previously described except that the rear wall of the basket is an upwardly swinging gate, and the baskets are generally tapered-down from back to front so that a substantial portion of the basket from one cart can be inserted into the basket of another cart from the rear, the rear gate of the receiving cart being pushed swingingly up and out of the way by the entering cart.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,891,801 by H. J. Sides and U.S. Pat. No. 2,896,959 by F. W. Young et al. both show a nesting grocery cart, as described above, with a container having an upwardly swinging rear gate and a raised pocket with a base member. In each case a rear end of the base member is pivoted to the container's rear gate and a front end of the base member rides vertical struts of the panel upward by force applied to it by the panel when the panel is being pushed to its collapsed position. In such an arrangement the base member can stick for various reasons (e.g. deformation due to rough treatment, corrosion and Wear) causing resistance to the collapse of the panel. Furthermore, any mechanical advantage gained by the panel acting as a lever against the base member decreases as the panel is moved closer to the rear wall of the container because the line of application of force moves up the vertical struts resulting in a decrease in effective lever arm length.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,890,059 by W. Brooks et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 2,911,227 by L. N. Davis both show a similar nesting grocery cart with a container having an upwardly swinging rear gate and a raised pocket with a base member. In each case a front end of the base member is pivoted to the panel and a rear end of the base member rides the container's rear gate upward when the panel is being collapsed. This arrangement also has the disadvantages inherent in designs where an end of the base member rides struts upward by force applied to it by a collapsing panel. This invention presents a base member which is not forced up, but rather it collapses downward of its own weight.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,890,057 by L. N. Davis and French Patent 84.169 by Ateliers Reunis S. A. both show a similar nesting grocery cart with a container having an upwardly swinging rear gate and a raised pocket with a base member. In each case the base member is pivoted to the container's rear gate, but as the panel collapses the base member collapses through an opening in the panel. These patents also each show a leg hole closure plate pivoted at the pivotal junction of the base member and the rear gate. In both cases the leg hole closure plate collapses downward through the panel with the base member when the panel is collapsing. When the panel is reopened the leg hole closure plate's initial position is the lowered position, i.e. resting on the base member. Such an arrangement is disadvantageous for most shoppers, because most shoppers do not have a small child with them and are in no need of a child's seat. However, it is well known that most shoppers tend to use the pocket to carry items, e.g. small parcels, fragile items and purses. With the initial position of the leg hole closure plate being in the lowered position, such shoppers must always move the plate to its raised position to prevent items from falling out of the leg holes in the rear gate. This invention presents a hole closure whose initial position, when the pocket is opened, is the raised position.
A problem common to all nesting cart baskets as described above is "swelling" which refers to an undesirable outward bowing of the basket walls, particularly the side walls. Swelling can be caused by cart collisions with walls, posts and the like. It can be caused by the countless impacts with the rear gates of other carts while being nested. It can also be caused, over time, by a property inherent in the vertical struts of most baskets as a result of the way said baskets are formed. Heretofore, baskets were formed by welding straight wire bars into a planar welded-wire mesh to form the floor of a basket. Extensions of the bars were then bent up to form vertical struts for the walls of the baskets, and horizontal strut "rings" were used to confine the upwardly bent portions to the desired shape. Vertical struts thusly formed have residual memory of their originally straight condition. This residual memory urges them outwardly against the rings and eventually can cause the sides to bow outwardly.
Excessive swelling can cause several problems. A swollen cart can be too wide to nest or fully nest, and even if such a cart can be nested, it can be very difficult to extract from the cart in which it is nesting. Moreover, the rear gate of a cart in which a swollen cart is nested can collapse into the nested cart making it very difficult to free the carts from each other.
Another problem common to all nesting carts as described above is "droop" which refers to the undesirable downward sagging of the front of a basket in relation to the basket's rear. Drooping is primarily a deformation, over time, of the basket due to the countless loads carried by the basket. Drooping essentially misaligns the basket's front end and prevents or makes more difficult the nesting of a drooped cart.
In addition to nesting and unnesting problems caused by swelling and droop, they can also cause the painted finish of a cart to become marred. This is so because the carts must be more violently maneuvered during nesting and unnesting operations, which maneuvers can cause rubbing and jamming of the painted surfaces resulting in unsightly scars and nicks in the paint.
A further problem common to all cart baskets described above is the exposure of the tops of the vertical struts which can be irregular and oftentimes jagged. Clothing and other items can snag on them and be damaged. This problem is so pervasive that some manufactures have gone to plastic baskets to avoid it.
A further problem is caused by the fact that the edges along the bottom of the baskets of the prior art baskets are really pluralities of individual wire corners, the wires being bend at approximately a right angle and spaced apart. Edges of table tops, counters, and the like can catch the corners of the bent wires and deform them. Besides making the basket unsightly, such deformations can themselves cause nicks and other damage to a surface, such as a counter top or table, because said edges are not smooth.
This invention presents an improved grocery cart which eliminates the problems discussed above which are inherent in prior art carts. Other advantages and attributes will either be discussed or readily discernible from a reading of the text hereinafter.